AOC Free Stuff

It’s gotten under OAC’s skin that many people view her policies as giving free stuff to others.  She demanded from her audience that she, “never want[s] to hear the word or the term ‘free stuff’ ever again.”  Okay, young’in (with nod to the “Okay, Boomer” meme).   Sounds like my child saying she never wants to be told to clean up her room.

Well, AOC might hear “free stuff” again because she keeps bringing it up and shows confused understanding.  She demonstrates emotional in-your-face arrogance rather than honest resolution.  Recently, she compared employed mothers to female breeder dogs.  Where does she get this stuff?!

Now, she indignantly asks why her detractors aren’t going after the NDAA defense budget as giving free stuff to others. There’s a simple answer.

First, AOC could learn from a little bit of history further back than her birthdate.  Welfare and left-leaning policies have always been characterizing as giving free stuff to people.  Right-wingers have always made this accusation.  Neither side has ever considered funding a military (people volunteering to go die) as giving away free stuff.  She needs to learn the vocabulary of her predecessors, and clarify how willing to sacrifice your life is getting free stuff.

Secondly, more analytically, here’s a simple direct answer to her question.  Let me define “free stuff” for you in a simple way you can remember.  When the money is spent for the common good (military, roads, power grids, land preservation) it’s not “free stuff”.  When the benefit comes in the form of a check from the government to a non-employee with someone’s name on it, then it’s “free stuff.”  When it’s targeted to many: common good.  When it’s targeted to individuals: free stuff.

Addendum:  Personally, I don’t even care about the giving away free part.  As a tax-paying citizen of the nation, what I DO care about is the taking away part. A government is not a net producer.  It just shuffles resources from some and to others.  In order to do what she proposes, she needs to take stuff away from some to give to others.  From those with ability, to those with need.  That’s Marxism, which you will not convince me is good.  So, feel free to give away and be benevolent, but do it with your money, not money taken from others.